Finding a free VPN that works well and doesn't have a bad reputation for collecting and selling your data to third parties or even being an outright scam can be difficult. A common adage about free online services says, "If something is free, you are the product," referring to services that collect and sell information about you and your online habits to data brokers and third parties for targeted online advertising opportunities. Fortunately, we've closely evaluated and researched the most popular free VPNs on the market, including their privacy policies, no-logging policies, and business practices, to determine which are the most trustworthy. We've tested four of the most popular products available, and our picks for the best free virtual private networks are below.
If you'd like to learn more about VPN privacy, check out our article. If you're curious about VPN kill switches, check out our R&D article where we explore how they work and why some of them leak. Also, check out our recommendations for the best free VPNs for Windows PCs, the best VPNs for Mac, and the best VPNs for iPhone for more platform-specific options.
In 2025, we published reviews for 20 different VPN services. These reviews came after months of research, test development, and collaboration between our engineers, testers, writers, photographers, and editors. Our process for each review involves a lot of work behind the scenes, including rigorous checks and balances along the way, all to provide the most accurate and useful test results to allow you to make the right purchasing decisions for your needs.
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Best Free VPN
Torrent7.3Private Browsing8.2Policies & Practices7.9Security8.6Speed6.7Data Limit:10 GBCountries:10See all our test resultsTested Simultaneous Connections:11Free VPNs are difficult to trust because they're often unproven, collect excessive user data, or rely on questionable business models. Windscribe Free stands out as a clear exception and is our top pick for the best free VPN. Its privacy and no-logs policies are clearly written and explicitly state that they don't log any user traffic, while also detailing exactly what data is collected for billing and enforcing device limits. You can create an account with just a username to receive 2GB of data per month, or add an email address to raise the limit to 10GB. According to Windscribe, the email address is used only for marketing communications. The company is independently owned, communicates openly, offers open-source apps, and regularly commissions third-party audits of its security and infrastructure. However, it has not released audits that specifically confirm its privacy and no-logs claims.
In use, the VPN performs well. It reliably keeps your IP address and DNS requests within an encrypted tunnel and includes a dependable kill switch to keep you protected if your connection drops. Windscribe Free offers servers in 10 countries and supports a wide range of platforms. If you're comfortable with a monthly data cap, it remains the best free VPN currently available.
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Best Free Unlimited VPN
Torrent6.4Private Browsing7.5Policies & Practices6.3Security8.6Speed7.1Data Limit:N/ACountries:1See all our test resultsTested Simultaneous Connections:1Proton VPN Free is the best free VPN with no data cap, but it has several limitations. Although its no-logging policy has been independently audited, the most recent audit had a narrow scope. It didn't cover Proton's broader privacy policies, which you must accept to create an account, and the auditors weren't given access to the VPN's source code. Additionally, Proton's privacy policy and terms of service leave some ambiguity around what data they collect, how long it's retained, and when it's deleted.
From a technical standpoint, the VPN offers solid security and reliability. It encrypts your IP address and DNS requests and includes a functional kill switch. Unlike Windscribe Free, our top free VPN recommendation, Proton VPN Free doesn't let you choose a specific country to connect to. Instead, you're automatically connected to one of five server locations in Poland, the Netherlands, Japan, Romania, or the USA. Torrenting is also disabled, as it's reserved for Proton VPN's paid plans. Overall, if you're comfortable with these restrictions and the less transparent data handling practices, Proton VPN Free is a reasonable option if your main priority is a free VPN with no data limit for an extra layer of protection while browsing.
Recent Updates
Jan 07, 2026:
We've updated our top pick from Hotspot Shield Free to Windscribe Free, as the latter offers significantly better privacy policies and business practices. We've also replaced the 'Best Free VPN With More Locations' category with the 'Best Free Unlimited VPN' category, with Proton VPN Free as the pick.
May 14, 2025:
We've updated this article to reflect Test Bench 0.9.1. Namely, we've adjusted our definition of what we consider a leak, so we've edited the text accordingly.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are currently the best free VPNs for most people. We only recommend VPNs with a clear and digestible privacy policy, a proven track record of protecting their customers' privacy, and acceptable security and speeds. We also factor in feedback from our users and reputation within the community.
When choosing a VPN, consider what you need it for and understand its limitations. Depending on your risk profile, using one at all times is probably unnecessary. Modern websites, browsers, and devices have ample built-in security measures to protect you from the most common threats. With that in mind, here's the list of all the free VPNs we've tested.